Dalrev Vol47 Iss2 Pp143 158.Pdf (4.535Mb)
P. B. Waite ~ , .· : . I .. 1·. SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD: THE MAN i· . I ,: . l TUESDAY, JuLY 13, 1886. The scene, the CPR station at Winnipeg with a lusty crowd: many Tories, some Liberals, and not a few curious bystanders. Tumults of cheering as a man of 70, still tall, began to address them. During the lull in the enthusiasm a young man near the front audibly observed to a friend beside him, "Seedy-looking old beggar, isn't he?'"11 . t The seedy-looking old beggar was Sir John A. Macdonald. He was Premier of the Province of Canada only from 1857 to 58 - despite what might appear to the contrary - but he played a considerable role in Canadian politics before Confederation, and afterward he was Prime Minister from 1867 until 1891 except for the five years between 1873 and 1878. John A. Mac donald was born in 1815 - the year of Waterloo - and was brought up in and around Kingston from about 1820 on. He had his share of hard knocks, and this was no bad introduction to the world of politics then as now. A lawyer by the time he was 21, he was elected to the Assembly of the Province of Canada at 29, was a Minister of the Crown at 32. He had talent, persuasive ness, and what, for want of a better term, one might call address. He was tall - rangy one could call him - with an easy, negligent air, and in 1867 with black-gray curly hair, and no particular penchant for beard or whiskers.
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